Let’s talk about clothes and racing in the Spring. Especially THIS Spring…

The weather is a grab bag for sure. One day it can be 60 degrees in the morning and the next day it’s 40. So what are some ways we can manage that temperature swing where the race starts at 50 degrees and ends at 75 to 80 degrees or actually finishes after dark and the temperature drops again.

First and foremost, have contingency plans and options! Often that means carrying extra layers, accessories or different kits with you as a just in case option. You don’t have to schlep everything into transition but you do have options and you can decide what is best based on evaluating the weather the morning of the race.

For the swim, always have the wetsuit. Whether or not you use it is a game time decision but you have it available. Some people even go as far as having a full sleeve and a sleeveless wetsuit. A swim skin is a great option to have as well and generally can be worn both when the temperatures are low OR if by chance the water temperature is high enough to not be wetsuit legal.

On the bike, simple things can help significantly without creating problems unto themselves. Some things such as putting toe covers on your bike shoes prior to the race provide a bit of relief if the cold lingers into the cycling phase and if not they typically aren’t a hinderance once the temperatures rise. Additionally, cycling gloves (both fingerless and full fingered) can be a great way to maintain feeling in your hands on a longer cycling leg. The few seconds in transition are negligible compared to an extended time on the bike without feeling in your hands. Having arm warmers that can be rolled down as the temperature climbs during the biking portion of the race also help.

Finally, on the run, a head covering is always a good plan regardless of the weather. Additionally, a multi-weather, lightweight fabric pullover is a great idea if the race will end after dark. Spring in the South is notorious for blistering hot days and bone chilling evenings.

When I raced IMFL in 2017, I simply carried an extra tote with me to Panama City Beach. I watched the weather and the forecast for the week prior to the race and I was able pack my transition/special needs bags accordingly. It paid off on the run, as I was able to pack a lightweight 1/4 zip running top and put it in my special needs bag so that I was able to grab it half way through the run as the sun had just gone down and the temperatures dropped rapidly.

The take away here is, first and foremost, always carry options to the race venue. Evaluate the weather and watch the forecast to determine which options you will go with. Prepare as much as you can prior to the race (such as toe covers). In prepping transition and/or special needs bags …be as flexible as possible but don’t over do it with the options …make a choice and go with it because you don’t want to unpack a suitcase when you are in transition or at a special needs bag station. Trust me!

Them: “I was searching online for triathlon coaching, I found some plans and a few coaches in the area. I tried to contact them but they were out of town or didn’t respond. Seems like they weren’t really interested.” (And there it is…)

At that point, I was on a mission to CLEAR THAT UP.

I get the impression, quite often, that there are a couple of misunderstandings (actually more but I will touch on the obvious ones) on both sides of the aisle when it comes to coaching and being coached.

Let’s address the roles of a coach FIRST and then we will discuss YOU. Because at the end of the day if I am not serving YOU then why am I here?

In going through the education process that qualifies us as USAT Certified Triathlon Coaches, we discuss the roles (formal and informal) of a coach. They include, but absolutely are not limited to:

Teacher

Leader

Organizer/Planner

Psychologist

Nutritionist

Sherpa

Equipment Reviewer

….many more

My personal experience, as a coach, is that there are fantastic coaches that excel in all these roles and are very responsive to the athletes they serve. Then there are “coaches” out there that are more than happy to sign you up and then throw random workouts on your training calendar with little or no explanation of why and then do not respond to your questions or concerns.

The reality is that TYB Coaching serves you through all of these roles and more. We work with you to make sure you have the endurance you require to be successful your racing, as well as, to develop you to your highest potential as a triathlete. This includes managing your training load in an healthy, safe manner to make sure you are able to reach your racing goals and deal with the personal challenges that invariably come up due to your multiple roles as a spouse, parent or business person.

The misunderstanding is that “all” coaches randomly throw hard work at our athletes through a training log and rarely communicate or are reachable to serve you and that this is all that coaching really is. That’s where the temptation to grab a “plan” off the internet comes from. A plan written for some athlete with some ability in some life situation that the buyer “hopes” is close to theirs. More often than not it is a “perfect world” plan that frustrates the average athlete or doesn’t fit their time commitment and is soon abandoned.

When you are looking at being coached and choosing coaches, remember that there is “more”. Now you know…

So, when you considering coaches and coaching going forward… you now have a better list of criteria to evaluate your choices.

Multi-sport endurance needs you. You are critical to its success and longetivity. In a multitude of ways, it is also critical to your success.

If you have participated as an athlete or you have been a spectator at a triathlon, marathon or ridden SAG (Support and Gear) on a long bike event then you understand the value of the human element in supporting these events. If registration fees have been charged for these events you appreciate that the race director/producer uses these registration fees to pay for various costs of conducting these events. Personnel, permits, food and other support items must be paid out of this. Were it necessary to pay every person that supports a multi-sport event, it’s likely that the event wouldn’t exist or that the registration fees would be astronomical. These issues go hand in hand.

But, as crucial as volunteering is to the sport, volunteering is extremely beneficial to the endurance athlete. Let me illustrate a few of the “how’s”…

Want to race Ironman Augusta 70.3 next year? Don’t wait till the race next year to see the actual course. Remember…”objects in your mirror are closer than they appear”. You can watch videos and look at google maps all day long but nothing replaces the opportunity to see the race course and venue up close and personal. What better way than to volunteer and see the course without the race day nerves and pressure?!

Looking at a new pair of swim goggles? Want the new cycling helmet? New pedals? New tri bars? Best way to see new gear in practice is to hang out and volunteer near the transition areas. Do they work? Are they practical? Hard to tell in the bike shop or looking at an online product catalog. Ask questions! Trust me, triathletes love to talk about their gear.

Your children will become what is modeled for them. I say this time and time again. This is multi-faceted. Your children see a role model volunteering their time and energy with a grateful heart. Your children see people participating in a healthy lifestyle. After all, triathlon IS a lifestyle sport. Endurance racing can be a lifetime activity for you and your family to participate in together.

Never underestimate the value of a friendly face on foreign soil. I won’t forget the 2014 experience of being 300+ miles away from home and volunteering at a IM Florida race with freak weather conditions. I watched the pain and intestinal fortitude of the participants that weren’t quite prepared for the conditions. In the midst of a swim cancelled event with winds and 40 degree temperatures at the bike start, there was an athlete struggling through the single transition on both a mental and physical level. The look of gratitude and relief in their eyes, when they suddenly recognized me as a friendly face from home, was priceless and something I will always remember.

Finally, helping with the production of an endurance event can be very inspirational. When there are 2500 participants in an Ironman event, there is likely a story of inspiration and awesomeness for each athlete and the journey that they’ve made to show up at the swim start.

Opportunities

Can you help?

TYB Coaching and TYB Coaching Georgia are “practicing what we preach.”

TYB Coaching and TYB Coaching Georgia will be volunteering at the IM70.3 Gulf Coast on May 12th and at IM Florida on November 3rd. If you want to volunteer or if you plan to race, link up with us at david@triyourbest.com.

We are less than 6 months away from what is, currently, the largest North American Ironman 70.3 event. Ironman 70.3 Augusta has sold out every year since it’s inception and 2018 marks the tenth year of it’s existence.

Each September, approximately 3600 nervous triathletes enter the waters of the Savannah River at the 5th Street Bridge just off Broad Street in Augusta, Georgia to begin a day of endurance racing. The majority of those racing are entertaining butterflies because they wonder about how they have prepared for the race or what the course holds.

Figuratively speaking, it’s time to get on the training bus. If Augusta is your ‘A’ race this year, are you building your base fitness now? Are you progressing through the necessary training volume and program that you need to be successful?

If you have concerns or you are just not sure what you should be doing to prepare for Augusta, TYB Coaching can helpwith that.

Talk with us. Email us. We can work with you to put you on the right coaching plan and path from a training plan perspective, as well as, the demands of the Augusta race course.

Jamie, Joe or David can help you take care of the Augusta butterflies once and for all. Reach out to us.

We work with athletes from all over the South and the United States. We work with athletes from abroad as well. It just takes an email, phone call or text to start the process.

Speaking of the race course, the word on the street is that the Augusta bike course will change this year. Our SAG supported (multiple vehicles) preview will give you a shot at seeing and riding the course prior to the pressure of race day.

The popularity of the preview is unprecedented this year so “The Time is Now”. We are limiting the number of slots for the preview to be able to provide a solid and hands on experience for ALL participating athletes .

TYB Coaching is often asked about base fitness and about maintaining base fitness over the months between a typical end of season ‘A’ race and the start of the next triathlon season.

In particular, our coaches are asked how to maintain the fitness and not lose the results of the large body of training that went into the late season long course races.

The simple answer is to have a plan! The plan includes talking with our coaches as the end of the season and the big race approaches. Once you have completed your last race, we can talk with you to evaluate where you are as an endurance athlete, as well as, where you want to improve. Then our coaches can help you prepare goals for the next season and discuss how TYB Coaching can help you maintain fitness over the winter months and perform base building prior to the start of the next season.

In fact, some interesting research has been done recently to provide some practical numbers for how quickly an athlete that is not working out “de-trains” .

– Coach David

Triathlon is a LIFESTYLE sport. Simply put, triathlon is a combination of activities that the majority of the population can do – whether 8 years old or 80 years old – the majority of the population can make a triathlon happen – swim, bike, run – and you are a triathlete.

There is no magic formula or even a magic race distance that brands one a “triathlete.” In our book, putting the 3 disciplines together, putting a plan in place and making it happen, and then racing with your oldest friends and surely new friends to come, creates memories and a triathlete – and a triathlete for life.

No doubt LIFE has ebbs and flows. Some years you will be completely enthralled with the sport, racing, specific race goals and more while other years – even though not as motivated as year’s prior or as dedicated, the flame still burns – maybe not as bright – but it is there. In our opinion, this is one of the extraordinary aspects of the sport of triathlon. Once a triathlete, always a triathlete, and always there to help new athletes to the sport.

At TYB, we make it a mission to live the triathlon lifestyle. Again, some years you will see some of our coaches racing 12 races a years and the next year the race number may be 1 – but make no mistake about it – we are alive in the triathlon lifestyle – both from a personal aspect and growing the sport through TYB and various other avenues.

TYB is also excited and thrilled to be part of the NCAA Women’s Triathlon initiative with Southern Wesleyan University. Again, creating a triathlon culture in our youth and junior athletes, exposing new athletes to the sport of triathlon, and continuing to build the lifestyle of triathlon.

Check out the clip below to find out more on what we are doing at Southern Wesleyan University.